HANDS LINKED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 102, 1 May 1940, Page 5

HANDS LINKED.

WALKED INTO SEA. r GURKHA'S GALLANT CREW. < i FOUGHT OFF 30 BOMBERS. , 1 LONDON, April 14. , With hands linked and singing a J shanty, men of the bombed destroyer , Gurkha walked down the sloping side into J the sea as she sank off the Norwegian e i coast. , To the end, through five continuous hours of air attack by waves of bombers, the Gurkha's guns had blazed. Only when her decks were awash did they ( cease. On the bridge as she sank stood Commander A. W. Buzzard, elder son of Sir Farquhar Buzzard, Physician-in-Ordinary to King George V. He had sent round a message during the action praising his crew of 170 on their courage. He was ! last to leave and, with his men, swam ■ for an hour before he was picked up. ' The Gnrkha survivors are the first men ! back from the Norwegian battle. A ' "Daily Mail" reporter talked with them ! while the train taking them south was stopped at a Scottish station. » And these are some of the stories they ' told him of their comrades' bravery: t One man swam over to the rescue 7 s hip with a line. As he neared it a rope 5 was thrown to him. He reached up, L failed to grasp it, and was swept to death s under the ship's screws. e In spite of this another man went r overboard with a line. He met the same o fate.

Eighteen-year-old Able Seaman E\an» was "blown "out of the ammunition hold by an explosion and hurled through the -shattered hatches on to the deck. But for four hours after this he worked, helping to jettison live shells and anything that would help keen the sJlip afloat.

"Throw a Ball Down." Able Seaman McCall, of Rosytli, is 20. He calmly dismantled a disabled gun as the chip settled down, pot it in order, and went into action again. Able Seaman George Rouse, of Plymouth, did the same with his damaged machine gun. The Gurkha's coxswaain sliouted encouragement to others in the water as he swam around for half an hour. When the rescue ship came up he swam to the side and called: "Throw us down a water polo ball. We've come to play your best team.'' The Gurkha's coxswain shouted enflotilla in the North Sea when 30 Dorniers attacked.

They dived repeatedly, and occasionally flew low to machine-gun the deck of the destroyer. For more than an hour the concentrated attack was maintained without doing the slightest damage to any of the destroyers of the flotilla. Then eight Dorniers singled out the Gurkha for special attention. Their attack became more vicious, but its, effectiveness was spoiled by the Gurkha's guns. Six of these Dorniers were driven off. Two Bombers Hit. It was a lucky bomb from one of the two remaining bombers which crippled the Gurkha. Altogether the attack lasted five hours.

The ship took a list, but there was no immediate danger of her sinking. I More Dorniers raced out to deal the death blow. Their bombs fell wide — indeed, all the Gurkha men were amazed at the inaccuracy of the Nazi bombers. "But for that lucky hit we would have been giving them beans yet," said one of the gunners. Still the Gurkha's guns blazed away. One Dornier was hit and flew away, losing height rapidly, while the Gurkha men cheered. A further cheer went up when another Dornier was hit by the guns astern. "Launched" on a Table. The ship stayed afloat for almost four hours after the bomb struck. Ship's stores, everything movable, were pitched overboard to help keep her afloat. The aerial, wrecked early in the fight, had been replaced by a makeshift one.

An SOS had been sent out. The canteen manager handed out chocolate and biscuits. They ate and smoked , , g-nrl worked.

Finally the bow began to lift from the water. It was the end. Men who could swim walked down the side and dived into a raging sea. Most of the others linked hands and walked into the water singing. A wounded stoker and a seaman were placed on mess-tables and "launched." " Stout Fellows." A warship had now arrived and was standing by. It is believed that 15 men were drowned before they could be picked lip. Telegraphist Cartnoll of the rescue ship and Petty Officer Telegraphist Gayner of the Gurkha met in the stal tion buffet yesterday. "Glad you snapped up that SOS of mine," said Gayner as they shook hands. Commander Buzzard, smiling broadly, told me: "Right up to the time the ship went clown our two foremost guns were givin<T the aircraft more than we were getting."